Airplane control



June 18, 1935. F; w. THOMAS AIRPLANE CONTROL Filed July 27, 1932 2 She et's-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

A TTORNEYS.

June 18, 1935. F. w. THOMAS 2,005,061

' AIRPLANE CONTROL Filed July 27, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. I Z/flm A TTORNEYS.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE AIRPLANE oon'rnor. Frank W. Thomas, Lincoln Place, Pa. Application July 27, 1932, Serial No. 624,997 2 Claims. (01. 244-29 I This invention relates to improvementsin airto members 9 of the fuselage to receive a rockplane controls. able shaft W with the axis X-X of said shaft In airplane construction, the controls gener extending longitudinally of the airplane. ally consist of a control lever or stick actuated Secured to and rockable with the shaft in is by the hands of the operator or pilot and a rudder provided a T-member l I having a stud I2 therein 5 bar actuated by the feet, the said stick and ruddisposed along an axis Y-Y at right angles to der bar being operatively connected with the conthe axis X-X. A lever I3 isalso secured to said trol surfaces of the airplane. Various modiflshaft H) by means of a suitable hub and is prefcations have been devised all of which necessierably disposed rearwardly of the member Ii.

tate constant application of the hands and in Positioned on the stud l2 and rotatable about 10 some cases both hands and feet of the operator, the axis Y-Y, I provide a yoke member l4 having in order to positively maintain the airplane in a centrally apertured portion I5 for receiving. the flying position. Likewise, constant application of stud I2 and upwardly extending spaced-apart the hands of the operator is necessary when takarms l6 provided with alined bearings ll. Said ing off or landing the airplane. bearings I! are designed to receive a transverse 15 It is a prime object of my invention to provide shaft [8 rotatable about an axis ZZ at right an airplane control mechanism capable of actuanglesto the axis Y-Y. Washers is may be ation either entirely by the hands or feet of the provided on the stud 12, said stud also having a operator or both as desired, thus giving said opernut for retaining the yoke Hi thereon.

20 ator freedom of the hands or feet during the A control lever or stick 2| is centrally secured 20 taking off, flying and/or landing of the airplane to and rotatable with the shaft I8 where said without losing positive control thereof. shaft is intersected by the axis YY, as by a Additional objects and advantages will become T-shaped member 22, said member having a deapparent from the following description taken in pending control arm 23 in alinement with said.

- connection with .the. accompanying. drawings, control stick 2| and movable within the yoke. A

wherein: hand wheel 24 is preferably provided at the upper Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic perspectiveview of an end of the control stick 2| to be grasped by the embodiment of my invention operatively conhands of the operator or pilot.

nected with the control surfaces of an airplane; The shaft [8 extends beyond the bearings II to -Fig. 2, a side elevational view of'the control receive a pair of foot treadles 25 of any suitable 30 device; design. For example, I have shown the treadles Fig. 3, a rear elevation thereof; 25 provided with heel sockets 26 for receiving the Fig. 4, an enlarged sectional detail of one of the heels of the operators shoes as in Fig. 4, thus profoot treadles; and vlding means for securely maintaining the oper- I Fig. 5, an enlarged sectional view taken on the ators feet in position on said treadles. 21 des- 35 lineV-V of Fig. 3. ignates pins for securing said treadles on the 0 Referring to the drawings and more particushaft I8. larly to Fig. 1, I have shown diagrammatically Suitable cables, rods or the like are provided for the movable control surfaces or members comoperatively connecting the control mechanism monly employed in airplane construction, includwith the movable control surfaces of the air- 40 ing ailerons 2, elevators 3 and a rudder 4. The plane to which it is applied. Thus the ailerons 2 ailerons 2 are horizontally hinged along their formay be provided with lower arms or horns 28 for ward edges 5 to a main airfoil or wing, and the connection with the rotatable arm l3 on the shaft elevators 3 are likewise hinged at their forward ID by cables 29, and upper horns 30 connected by 5 edges 6 to horizontal stabilizers or fins, as will a cable 3| passed within the wing structure be readily understood. The rudder 4 is vertically through suitable guides or pulleys. pivoted or hinged for movement about its lead- Movement of the stick 2 M0 the right or left to ing edge I rearwardly of a vertical stabilizer fln rotate the shaft l0 and arm l3 about the axis not shown. XX will cause the ailerons to move in opposite .Mounted within the airplane in its proper reladirections to cause the airplane to" bank to the 50 tionship to the control surfaces just described, I right or left'respectively. provide my control mechanism, generally desig- Likewise, crossed rudder cables 32 extend from nated A. .The said mechanism may be secured horns 33 on the rudder 4 to be attached to the to the-fuselage of the airplane in any suitable bearings H of yoke M as at ,and rods 35 conmanner. Forexample, bearings B'maybesecured 'nect the depending rotatable arm 36 of the ele- 55 waters 3 witlrthe arm 23 of the stick 2| said rods connecting with the ends of an intermediate double lever 31. v

Hence, rotative movement of the control stick 2| forward and backward about the axisZZ will cause the elevators 3 to lower and raise re-' spectlvely, thus controlling the downward and. upward travel of the airplane, and rotation of the yoke l4 about its axis Y-Y will move cables 32 to cause the rudder 4 to be deflected for steering the.

airplane.

In operating an airplane equipped with my the ends of the shaft I8 when the controls are in the neutral position so as to afford a comfortable engagement by the feet of the pilot.

The operator or pilot may control theaflight of the airplane without the use of his hands by applying the said rotative movements to the mechanism with his feet on the treadles 25. The

I rudder is actuated to steer the airplane by rotation of the mechanism about the Y--Y axis, the ailerons by rotation about the X-X axis, and the elevators by applying a rotative movement with the feet to the shaft l8 about its Z--Z axis, as in Fig. 4. v

In this manner, the pilot may have his hands free. for controlling the motor, writing, platting his course and the like. In addition, the device may be applied to fighting or pursuit planes in time of war whereby the pilot may maneuver the airplane into position with his feet on the controls and have his hands free to operate a machinegun in combat.

The control of my invention lends itself to positive and efllcient operation of the movable control surfaces of an 'airplane either entirely by the hands or the feet of the pilot or both, as desired.

templated within the scope of the following claims.

What I claim is:

1; An airplane control device including a rockable shaft, a yoke member secured to said shaft and rotatable about an axis at right angles to the.

axis of said shaft, said yoke member having spaced-apart bearings, a transverse shaft in said bearings, a control stick for said transverse shaft, a control arm in alinement and movable with said Various changes and modifications are constick, and a pair offoot treadles secured to said transverse shaft.

2. An airplane control device including a rockable shaft, a yoke member secured to said shaft and rotatable about an axis at an angle to the axis of" said shaft, said yoke member'having spaced-apart bearings, a transverse shaft rotatable in the bearings, a control stick fixed to said transverse shaft between said bearings, a con-.

trol arm depending from the transverse shaft and' movable within the yoke with the movement of the stick, and a pair of foot treadles secured to the ends of said-transverse shaft. FRANK W. THOMAS. 

